#BRUSHTOLIVE – improving the oral health of Heart Kids

Meet Unakho

This is her story as told by her mom:

Unakho was born in East London 29.11.2004 we were discharged home. At home I noticed that she was not sucking very well, gets tired easily, breathing faster, with purple lips. On the 5th of December 2004, we went back to St Dominic’s hospital where she was resuscitated and kept on a ventilator and taken to Cape Town on the 6th. Dr Pribut and his team diagnosed her with a Complex congenital heart defect.

She has DORV with uncorrectable TGA, VSD. …. she had a coarctation repair, subaortic stenosis resected and Glen shunt inserted. Now she is having Left ventricle hypertrophy last year December she was started on Propranolol and she is due for her 6th operation on the 16 ..02..2016. Through it all, she is the lovely gal with a big heart she understands that she can’t do strenuous exercises but she enjoys swimming and I let her do what she can manage. She is joining debate team at school.

Unakho puts her hands where her mouth is.

Recently Unakho was moved by the plight of children who are affected by congenital heart defects, who can not have surgery due to bad oral health. So this young lady has decided o do something about it. Her initiative is called Brush to Live. She collects and distributed toot brushes to children affected by Congenital Heart Defects, in East London hospitals. Her next tooth day is on 13 February and you can be a part of it.

If you are in East London, you can deliver your contribution to the #BRUSHTOLIVE and protect your heart initiative to:

Cecilia Makiwane Hospital and Frere Hospital Paediatric outpatient departments ( POPD).(CMH in mother and child side and at Frere is in POPD 3rd floor.)

You can contact her mom on moninonnie@gmail.com or 0787585411 or WhatsApp on 0733637421.

Alternatively, you can support the project through donations on GivenGain: #BrushToLive if you are unable to contribute with physical items.